Steam Update to Add Online File Storage

Data including "game profiles, configuration settings, and savegames" will be first cached locally on a players machine before being uploaded to Valve's servers as soon as Steam detects a viable internet connection.

Eventually Valve plans to use the system to save all forms of game-related data to their remote servers, including player-created game footage and Team Fortress 2's deathcam screenshots.

It is unknown whether Valve will allow users to opt out of the online save system, though the fact that files are first saved to a user's machine would indicate that it is highly likely.

The MaximumPC article also reveals another important change coming to Steam: Automatic hardware driver update downloads.

No details exist on how Steam would check one's hardware for driver status, or where the service would download driver updates from, but it could be a convenient addition to a service that has overcome massive early technical issues to become one of the dominant sales forces in PC gaming.

Now, anyone wanna place bets on how the tinfoil hat crowd will react to this news?

I predict "government conspiracy" with a hint of "Illuminati" and just a dash of "alien bovine abductions." No telling how they'll work Valve into all of that, but they're a creative bunch.